Campus News

FBI-CDC workshop focuses on bioterrorism

The workshop focused on how local police and government and academic public health experts would work together to address a possible act of bioterrorism, such as this inspection of mail for anthrax at an undisclosed postal facility in November 2001. Photo: U.S. Air Force, Staff Sgt. Lynnita M. Cotten

By SARA R. SALDI

“Being prepared to respond to a potential bioterrorist event from various perspectives, including public health, is critical to the safety of our community.”

Jean Wactawski-Wende, interim dean

School of Public Health and Health Professions

When it comes to dealing with bioterrorism, it is essential that
agencies like the police, county health officials and academic
public health experts work together and communicate clearly.

That was one of the key messages delivered last week when more
than 75 students, faculty, law enforcement, health officials and
epidemiologists participated in a staged bioterrorism event at a
UB-hosted, two-day workshop presented by the Federal Bureau of
Investigation (FBI) and the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC).

The “Regional Joint Criminal and Epidemiological
Investigations Workshop” (Crim-Epi) took place Aug. 6 and
Aug. 7 on the South Campus and was sponsored by the Office of the
Vice President for Health Sciences, the Office of the Vice
President for University Life and Services, the School of Public
Health and Health Professions (SPHHP), and the FBI’s Buffalo
Field Office.

The main purpose of the days’ activities was to bring
together professionals from a variety of backgrounds to learn
techniques and protocols for collaborative engagement in emergency
preparedness and epidemiological investigations related to
bioterrorism.

Michael Cain, vice president for health sciences and dean of the
UB medical school, opened the proceedings with a welcome and
expressed his thanks to all taking part in the workshop.

“This symposium will allow us to develop roles, skills and
expertise should such an event take place,” said Cain.
“Through this workshop, we will use case studies and
incorporate the precepts of interprofessional education (IPE) as we
bring together our colleagues in community health, law enforcement
and the faculty and students at UB.”

Gale Burstein, Erie County health commissioner, said health and
law enforcement officials must be prepared for the unknown and the
unexpected.

“This workshop is critical to building trust among
agencies,” she said.

UB was chosen, according to Brian P. Boetig, special agent in
charge, FBI Buffalo, because FBI headquarters’ WMD Division
has a dedicated interest in solidifying a national, academia-based
footprint.

And UB was appealing, said Boetig, because of its expertise in
epidemiology and public health. The FBI became aware of this after
the Buffalo WMD coordinator recently gave a presentation at
UB’s School of Public Health and Health Professions.

“The WMD coordinator was confident that the FBI could
integrate with UB’s established public health
programming,” said Boetig. “So this particular
opportunity was the perfect fit on both local and national
programming levels.”

The FBI strives to hold six Crim-Epi Workshops per year.

Boetig said the FBI’s objectives focus on identifying and
establishing critical roles, responsibilities and authorities that
responders must address during a biological incident. That includes
the role of law enforcement as far as conducting investigations and
threat assessments, with a focus on public health epidemiological
and medical investigations.

So what is bioterrorism? It was defined at the symposium as the
intentional use or threatened use of viruses, bacteria, fungi and
toxins from living organisms that produce death or disease in
humans, animals and plants.

The presentation began with the CDC and FBI facilitators
discussing why bioterrorism would be chosen, what would be the
microorganisms most frequently chosen and what would make them
attractive to terrorists. There was a short history lesson to
demonstrate that bioterror is nothing new; in fact, it can be
traced back to the Athenians who poisoned the wells of their
enemies with skunk cabbage.

The purpose and instrument of terrorism is fear, feelings of
helplessness and the “contagious nature” of fear. The
presenters said fear is viral.

Boetig said this program is almost identical in scope and focus
to the other workshops that the FBI conducts.

“We want it like that,” he said. “This way,
whether you attend a criminal-epidemiological conference in San
Jose, California, or Atlanta, Georgia, or Buffalo, New York,
participants receive the same information. The slight
difference this week is that more academics are participating
compared with past workshops.”

Jean Wactawski-Wende, interim dean of SPHHP, said the School of
Public Health and Health Professions was delighted to co-host this
workshop for Western New York.

“This is an important educational and training offering
that we can help provide to our faculty, trainees and public health
agencies from across our region,” Wactowski-Wende said.
“Being prepared to respond to a potential bioterrorist event
from various perspectives, including public health, is critical to
the safety of our community.”

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